Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro is a uniform dark brown, has a fine grit sandpaper feel along with a few raised and squiggly veins. The seams are easily visible as they are raised a bit and the head is finished off with a double cap. The band appears to be a darker shade of blue than what is on it’s Natural counterpart but has the same design. The aroma from the wrapper is damp wood, cocoa powder and light cinnamon. The foot brings some milk chocolate. The pre-light draw is cedar and stone fruit sweetness with a decent amount of spice on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro is lovely in appearance. The wrapper has some great tooth and with that are some medium sized veins. The wrapper is coarse in texture and it is a solid Maduro. It has a nice consistency with the color and I am getting an aroma of dark chocolate brownies, rich earth, tobacco, fruit stew and stone fruit on the wrapper and foot.

Pre-light Experience

The Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro has a spot on Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Bunch and roll is even, veins well pressed, seams tight but visible and head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper tell cedar and chocolate brownies. Aromas from the foot give an earthy mustiness, dry red pepper spice and nuts. Cold draw gives dried biscuits and cedar.

First Third

The cigar begins with dry, dark wood, mustiness and mellow black pepper. At a half inch in, a light cocoa powder note joins the profile. The retrohale carries dark wood and mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the cocoa is fairly faint with the dark wood and mustiness up front and some black pepper in the middle. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

The first third has a wonderful start and I am getting rich spice notes, some red pepper and stone fruit flavors. There are some plum and dark cherry notes that are quite pronounced. With that are some rich earth and brownie qualities while showing some cinnamon and coffee notes on the finish. I would classify the cigar as being medium-full, and that goes for strength, body and flavors.

First Third

The first third has a medium strength and body profile. Flavor-wise, there’s an unquestionable wood bitterness and leather that sits on the tongue. When I try to get past that, there’s also dehydrated vegetables, semi-sweet chocolate and cedar. Retrohaling is leagues better than the mouth draw flavor experience. There’s prominent dry red pepper spice, creamed cherries and a high level of nuttiness. The finish is lackluster, providing wood bitterness and leather.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the cocoa has left and the pepper has mellowed as some dry earth has joined the profile. At a half inch in, the dark wood and dry earth are even with the mustiness slightly behind. The black pepper has left the profile. The retrohale is now musty dry earth. At an inch and a quarter, the dry earth has a slight lead over the dark wood with the mustiness just behind that. The overall profile is now drying out my palate. As the third comes to a close, the dry earth is just ahead of the mustiness as the dark wood is in the background. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Second Third

I am in the second third of the cigar and picking up rich earth, dark chocolate and coffee notes right away. I am picking up those stone fruit notes and there are some strong spice and red pepper notes as well. Like the first third, a solid smoking experience in the second third. Also, medium-full in body, strength and flavors.

Second Third

There’s a mushroom funk (in the best way possible) that joins the profile, but what’s most noteworthy is still the undeniable wood bitterness and leather that sits fairly heavy on the palate. Strength and body remains unchanged at medium.

Final Third

The final third begins with the dark wood dropping out and leaving the dry earth and mustiness. At a half inch in, some wood rejoins the profile. The retrohale remains dry earth and mustiness. The cigar wraps up with the dry wood and mustiness even and the wood in the background. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

I am in the final third now and I am picking up rich earth and dark chocolate notes. The stone fruit flavors are present, so are the spice notes, but it is the coffee and brownie finish that make the third. Like before, medium-full in strength, body and flavors.

Final Third

The final third takes a turn from average to worse. The wood bitterness and leather I keep mentioning has now seriously engulfed the palate and makes the other flavors nearly impossible to taste. Strength and body finishes medium. Quite disappointing.

Burn

The burn line was straight the entire way. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The burn was spot on from start to finish. Well constructed cigar.

Burn

Great burn performance. Even burn, tight ashes, good smoke production and cool burning temperature.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar began with dry, dark earth, mustiness and black pepper. Some cocoa powder later joined, as did some dry earth. The second third saw the cocoa and pepper leave. The final third saw the wood leave and rejoin. Construction was perfect and strength was slightly above medium most of the way. The Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro had a nice start with a good combination of flavors. As the cocoa and black pepper dropped out, the profile became pretty simple and fairly average. It was also a bit drying on the palate. I liked how the cigar started and wished it would have maintained that profile. While not something I’ll likely return to frequently, I’m not opposed to revisiting.

Draw

Draw was fantastic from beginning to end.

Overall

As I have said before, Casa Cuevas has gone from being a brand I didn’t care for to being one of the most successful brands in 2019. Of their three new releases, they are all fantastic in my opinion. The Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro is fantastic and shows great spice, stone fruit and dark chocolate notes. It is complex and smokes at a great medium-full level from start to finish. The construction was dead on and with that, the draw was fantastic. You will not be disappointed with the blend. While there may not be a ton of transitioning, there are a lot of flavors present that are complex and consistent from beginning to end. Job well done!

Draw

The draw was also perfect. The ideal air flow.

Overall

The Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro is the first Casa Cuevas that I’m truly disappointed in. From first draw, the immediate hit of wood bitterness and leather was a key indicator of knowing where the profile will most likely veer towards. I was hoping these notes would back off and not be such a major factor as I smoked through the cigar. But unfortunately, the notes deepened and blanketed the other flavors that I did enjoy. I guess they can’t all be winners. Luckily, the vast majority of Casa Cuevas’ lines are great.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.79

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.63

Cost/Point

$1.43

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.02

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Casa Cuevas Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro